Fire extinguishing apparatus



` Feb. 25, 1936.

D. MARES FIRE EXTINGUI SHING' APPAATUS Filed Feb. 1o, 1934 2 `Sheets-Sheet 1 l mvl-:NToR DA /v/EL MA P55 ATTORNEY Feb., 25, 1936. D. MAPEs FIRE EXTINGUI SHING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 10, 1954 2 SheetS-rSheet 2 Fig INVENTOR 13AM/1 MAPES ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, '1936' UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE me Ex'nNGmsmNG APPARATUS Daniel Mapes, Upper Montclair, N. J., assignorto Walter Kidde & Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York partly into carbon dioxide snow'and the remainder into carbon dioxide gas, both of which when projected upon a re act to extinguish it.

More specically the present invention constitutes further improvements over the invention disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 418,191 led January 3, 1930, for Fire extinguishing apparatus and is particularly directed to forms of snow producing shields which will have a greater range of discharge than has hitherto been obtainable, yet without detrimental entrainment of air from the surrounding atmosphere by the discharging stream of carbon dioxide snow and gas. It is accordingly the primary object of the present invention to provide a carbondioxide snow producing shield so constructed, shaped. and proportioned that theV discharging jet will have a greater range than has hitherto been obtainable, yet without` detrimental entrainment of air,

whereby the jet will have better directional characteristics and greater re extinguishing effectiveness. Among other' objects of'the invention, which are in common with the objects of my hereinabove referredv to copending application are the provision of an improved and simplified apparatus of the proper form and construction to insure uninterrupted and effective operation; the provision of a discharge nozzle and a shield therefor by which efficient distribution of the carbon dioxide snow and gas formed from the liquid carbon dioxide is obtained when discharged through the nozzle; and the provision of a nozzle and shield so shaped and proportioned that the snow and gas formed will have sumcient velocity'to insure that the snow does not collect in the shield near its discharge end and tend to clog it.

These, and further objects of the invention not speciiically enumerated above. will be apparent as the invention is described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: y l

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view ,50- through one form of device employing the construction, of this invention, Vshowing some parts broken away.

Figure 42 is a central cross-sectional view through one form of shield embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2a is a view in end elevation of the shield shown in Figure 2.

Figure 3 is a central cross-sectional view through a modified form of shield.

Figure 4 is a central cross-sectional view through another form of shield employing the principles of this invention.

Figure 5 is a central cross-sectional view through another form of shield.

Figure 6 is a central cross-sectional view through still another form of shield.

Figure 7 is a central cross-sectional View, through a still further form of shield.

As shown in Figure 1 the device includes a container I of well known construction in which carbon .dioxide is maintained under sufficient pressure to form a liquid body. This container is provided with brackets and handle 2, by means of which 'the container can be readily carried about. The end of the container is provided with a discharge valve 3, to which is secured the tube 4 which extends downwardly into the container just short of the bottom thereof so as to be immersed in the liquid. The discharge connection of the valve isattached to a suitable pipe or coni cured to a nipple 8 which has a passage therethrough and is enlarged to form a thimble at the end as shown. A hollow plug 9 is adapted to threadedly engage with the nipple 8 and to telescope with the thimble portion thereof. 'Ihe shield I2 is securely held in place between the thimble and the plug. The plug 9 has secured to it a nozzle I0 having a discharge orifice II. 'I'his structure, as is clear from the drawings, comprises a one nozzle arrangement. I

The shields disclosed in this case are particularly useful in connectionwith apparatus of the type just referred to and will now be described in greater detail.

Referring rst of all to Figure 2, the shield here shown comprises inner and outer portions of which the outer portion is of the type still extensively used, being circular in cross-section and aring from the small end outwardly. Basically, this shield comprises an initial portion I '3,

which is conical and of uniformly increasing diandas tolength as to produce ya discharging stream of carbon dioxide snow and gas having a discharge Avelocity greater than has been. customary since the development of the carbon dioxide snow producing shield art, thereby resulting in a greater range of discharge. However, in order to maintain the fire extinguishing effectiveness of the discharging jet against the greater tendency of the jet to entrain atmospheric airk due to the higher velocity of the jet, the number and the size of the openings I6 in the wall of the terminal portion I6 are so chosen as to produce a relatively lower velocity discharge through the space formed between the terminal portion I4 and the outer shield portion I5, so as to form a protective shield of fire extinguishing gas between the main central jet from the terminal portion I4 and the laterally adjlacent atmospheric air so long as the`velocty of the main centraljet is otherwise sufcient to entrain a detrimental quantity of air. By reason of this construction it will also be apparent that the snow and gas formed will have sufcient velocity to insure that the snow does not collect in the terminal portion near its discharge end and tend to clog it, and that the apparatus is accordingly capable of uninterrupted and effective operation.

Referring now to Figure 3, the shield here shown is basically the same as that shown in Figure 2,

. While constructionally the elements I3a, Mia and I5a are the same as the elements I3, I4 and I5 of Figure 2. However, the means here employed for supplying fluid to the space between the terminal portion I4 and the outer shield portion I5 consists in conducting passages I'I communicating with the main supply passage I8 of thecentral orifice I9, a plurality of such conducting passages I1 being provided, each terminating in a suitable orifice 20 communicating with the space between the terminal portion I4 and the outer shield portion I5. With this arrangement the orifices 20 are in communication with the 'source of supply of liquid ycarbon dioxide before it has expanded through the central orifice I9, so that by properly proportioning the passages I'I and the oritles 2li the velocity of the discharging protective layer of gas can be suitably determinedv to meet the requirements of a particular design of apparatus.

The form of construction shown in Figure 4 differs in certain respects from the shields of Figures 2 an'd 3, but nevertheless embodies the basic principles of the present invention. In this figure the shield comprises an inner portion 2| of lesser ,nare and hence with a greater discharge velocity than have been customary since the developement of the carbon dioxide snow producing shield art, and an outer shield portion 22 corresponding to the outer shield portions I5 and I5a of Figures -2 and 3 respectively. The -inner portion 2| is provided with a series of circumferentially disposed orifices 23, corresponding to the orifices I6 of Figure 2, preferably arranged nearer the inlet the inlet end, as this would have a tendency to result in drawing air in through the orifices instead of discharging gas-therethrough. Webs 24 may be employed to space the `inner and outer portions of the shield. The shield shown in Figure 5 comprises an inner portion 25f"of decreasing cross-sectional area toward its 'outlet end, and an outer portion 26 of uniform diameter. The inner portion 25 is provided with a series of circumferentially disposed oriflces 2'I. As with the construction shown in Figure 4, the orifices 2'I should not be arranged too near the inlet end of the inner portion of the shield.

Figure 6 illustrates a further type of shield comprising an inner portion 28 of uniform diameter mounted within and'spaced from an outer portion 29 of uniform diameter also. A nozzle 30 supplies the relatively high velocity jet of carbon dioxide snow and gas from the central portion of the shield, while a nozzle 3l supplies the relatively low velocity layer discharging at the periphery of the shield.

In Figure 7 the shield comprises an outer portion 32 flaring uniformly outwardly from its small end to its large end, and an inner portion 33 of decreasing cross-sectional area mounted within the outer portion 32 and spaced from it at both the inlet and outlet ends of the inner portion 33.

While the foregoing description has dealt with certain specific embodiments of the invention, it should be noted' that the invention is not restricted to shields of the particular configurations illustrated in the drawings, since it is clearly within the scope of this invention to employ shields of any suitable and desirable geometric form both in cross-section and in longitudinal section; and I accordingly do not wish to be strictly limited to the disclosure, but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

1. In combination a source of carbon dioxide runder pressure, a discharge nozzle communicatcarbon dioxide of suilicient velocity to entrain air,

said shield having an outer portion in communication with the inner portion and constructed and arranged to deliver a jet of carbon dioxide surrounding said first mentioned jet and of sufficient velocity to surround said first mentioned jet so long as said first mentioned jet is capable of entraining substantial amounts of air, the shield cooperating with said nozzle in such a manner as to prevent substantial entrainment of air between said nozzle and shield.

2. In combination a source of carbon dioxide under pressure, a discharge nozzle for said source, a shield into which said nozzle discharges carbon dioxide constructed and arranged to prevent substantial entrainment of air therebetween, said shield comprising an initial portion flaring outwardly in all directions from oneend to the other, a terminal portion contracting within the nare of the initial portion constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity suilicient to entrain air, an outer portion constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity sunicient to surround the discharge of the inner portion so long as it has a velocity suicient to entrain air, said outer por.- tion commencing at the wall defined by the initial and terminal portions and extending adjacent the outlet end of the terminal portion, and a fl i) ity suillcient to surround said central jet as long as it has a velocity sufficient to entrain air.

4. In combination a source of carbon dioxide under pressure, a discharge nozzle for said source, a shield cooperating with said nozzle in a manner to prevent substantial entrainment of air therebetween, said shield comprising an outer portion having an outlet and inlet end, and an inner portion commencing at a location intermediate the ends and terminating adjacent the outlet end of said outer portion, said inner portion being constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity suiiicient to entrain air, said outer portion being constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity suilicient to surround the discharge of the inner portion so long as it has a velocity suiiicient to entrain air.

5. In combination a source of carbon dioxide under pressure, carbon dioxide discharge means for said source, shielding means cooperating with said discharge means in a manner to prevent substantial entrainment of air therebetween. said discharge means comprising means to supply adjacent the central axis of the shielding means a jet'of carbon dioxide having a velocity sufiicient to entrain air and means to supply adjacent a periphery of the shielding means a layer of carbon dioxide having a velocity suiiicient to surround said jet so long as it has a velocity sumcient to entrain air.

6. In combination a source of carbon dioxide under pressure, a carbon dioxide discharge nozzle for said source, a shield cooperating with said ,to discharge from said outer portion with a velocity suflicient to surround the discharge of the inner yportion so long as it has a velocity suicient to entrain air.

7. In combination a 'source of carbon dioxide under pressure, a discharge nozzle for said source, a shield into which said nozzle discharges carbon dioxide constructed and arranged to prevent substantial entrainment of air therebetween, said shield'comprising an initial and a terminal portion, said terminal portion contracting within the longitudinal contour of the initial portion and constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity sumcient to entrain air, an outer portion commencing at the junction of the initial and terminal portions and extending adjacent the outlet end of said terminal portion, said outer portion being constructed and arranged to surround the discharge of the initial portion as long as it has a velocity suicient to entrain air with a layer of carbon dioxide, and a space between said terminal portion and said outer portion, said terminal portion having means to establish communication between the interior thereof and said space.

8. I n combination a source of carbon dioxide under pressure, discharge means for said source, shielding means associated with said discharge means constructed and arranged to prevent ennozzles in a manner preventing substantial entrainment of air therebetween, said shield comprising an inner portion associated with one nozzle constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity suilicient to entrain air, an outer portion associated with a different nozzle and completely surrounding said inner portion constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity suilicient to surround the discharge 'of the inner portion so long as it has a velocity sufficient to entrain air.

10. In combination a source of carbon dioxide under pressure, a plurality of discharge nozzles for said source, a shield cooperating with said discharge nozzles in a manner to prevent substantial entrainment of air therebetween, said shield comprising an inner portion in communication with one discharge nozzle and constructed and arranged to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity sufcient to entrain air and an outer portion in communication with other discharge nozzles to discharge carbon dioxide with a velocity suicient to surround the discharge of said inner portion as long as it retains a velocity suiilcient to entrain air.

DANIEL MAPES. 

